Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Postscript: CP's Portage Switchers

Ready for some more switching at Portage, in addition to my first post? While I know I have a 1976 black & white photo of 6569 somewhere, I think I removed it from my album page for a modelling project. The next-oldest I have is one I took on August 18, 1978 (above). An eastbound is approaching Portage's CP station, and the head-end trainman is on the front porch ready to pick up orders. SD's 5762-5533 lead the train, and there's some TOFC visible on the head-end. Simmering nearby is 6569, waiting patiently. Note the lighting and platform for the convenience of the Canadian's passengers, before it switched to CN lines through Portage. Here are some excellent views of 6569 in July 1982, taken by Brian Schuff:

In its shady glen across from the CP station, north side, looking west (above) with a CN freight just visible to the left of the shed, in the background. Also on the switcher's north side, looking east, with the CP yard visible in the background (below):

Brian also caught the unit in Winnipeg where it worked in the spring and summer of 1986 before heading east for scrapping, photographed here on March 14, 1986:

I should have expected instant interest in Portage switching operations from Trackside Treasure's ardent readers. I aim to please, especially easy upon finding another interesting view of the Campbell's Soup train:

(These 3 photos by D.J. Gagnon taken on September 13, 1989). Above: 6719, with a couple of insulated boxcars, and a big, honking 86-foot CN hi-cube ahead of the end-cupola van are making a run to Campbell's.

More power! Two westbound CP freights wait just east of Eighth Street. In the rear, 5658-3032 lead a couple more insulated boxcars on the head-end. What are the chances they were just lifted from the yard? In the foreground, with at least three units isolated, is this monster power consist: 5596-5566-5582-5680-5563-5670-6039. So you're saying, where is the Portage switcher? It soon appears, reversing past the two freights to the yard, with a blue CN hicube on the head-end.

Railfanning from Campbell's...here's a view of a 1+ hour late Super Continental on August 22, 1978 taken from the front steps of the Campbell's plant. We'd just finished our tour of the plant, where I should have taken some photos of the car loading. A mix of VIA and CN-painted equipment in this view that shows you just how far north-west the plant was on Portage's periphery:

And another view, through-the-links this time, showing CP 3106 in July 2011 in its fenced-in enclosure (Manny Jacob photo):

Here's another take on 3106 last summer...or as we say in Kingston, "Lockdown". (Mark Perry photo)

All this Portage switching material has led to my drawing up a schematic of Portage trackage east of the Tupper Street bridge. This matches my schematic west of the bridge, already posted. And here's an idea that's looming large on the Trackside Treasure horizon...a trackplan to appeal to those who prefer CP, or CN, or who can't decide and want to model both. Rest assured, it will be linear, just as the prototype trackage is in Portage. Sales of S-3's like 6569 will skyrocket!

Running extra...

Today marks my dad's 86th birthday! To read about his influence and the involvement of others in my family in this peculiar but fascinating hobby, check out this 2011 Father's Day post.

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Rather Sketchy Profile

Eric Gagnon was born in Montreal, Quebec and has lived in Kingston, Ontario most of his life. Much time was spent trackside when not in school, college or practising as a medical laboratory technologist. Married with two children, Eric is also an HO-scale modeller, musician, avid reader and blogger, having launched his Canadian railfan blog Trackside Treasure in 2008. Eric's first book Trackside with VIA:The First 35 Years, published in 2011, was followed by two more in 2012: Trackside with VIA:Cross-Canada Compendium and Consist Companion. In 2017, Eric published his fourth book, Trackside with VIA - Research & Recollections. Eric's books can be found in museum gift shops, hobby shops and in the hands of VIA Rail enthusiasts across Canada, the United States and worldwide.

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